REVIEW: THE NEIGHBORS, BY ANIA AHLBORN

 

 

Andrew (Drew) Morrison has finally escaped. Driving away from the home where he and his mother lived together after his father left years before, he feels the wings of freedom lifting him up and away. For years, he has been his agoraphobic/alcoholic mother’s lifeline, her link to the outside world she cannot face.

He feels guilty leaving her, but he has no choice, he tells himself. He heads across the small town of Creekside, Kansas, to Magnolia Lane and the room at his old friend Mickey’s house. Disappointed at the filth of his friend’s home, Andrew scours and redecorates his own space. And then, as if he has stepped into a fairytale, he is drawn into the world of Harlow Ward, the gorgeous woman living next door in the cute fairytale cottage, from which come plates of cookies and home cooked dinners. He is soon addicted to the attention and the charm, but as he finds himself hooked on Harlow’s world, and sees the rage of the now resentful husband Red, Drew begins to sense that all is not right in the Land of Oz.

Behind the façade lie deep, dark secrets, and the dark inner world of the people next door will bring terror and horrifying events. Who, if anyone, will live to tell about it?

The Neighbors was a heart-clutching horror tale that kept me turning pages, even as I wanted to run away and hide. Why did Harlow do what she did? What events in her past created her, and what would she continue to do to escape the pain? An intriguing tale for those who love horror…which I do not. For me, 3 stars. But others might find the story gripping and fascinating.